Leave before Moscow makes you soft!

Do you know the Baz Lurman song: Everybody’s Free? You know he reminds us to wear sun cream? Aside from reminding us of the importance of protecting our skin from the sun he also suggests a list of experiences to try in life. For instance, do one thing every day that scares you. Oh and of course get plenty of calcium. He also suggests something along the lines of living in New York once but leave before it makes you hard and live in London once but leave before it makes you soft. Well Moscow is like London.
It is time to hit the road again. The appeal of going back out into the tent in the cold and riding each day in the rain is starting to thin. Not because that bothers me. No it is because the welcoming I have experienced in Moscow has been so great, I don’t want to leave. My expectation of arriving at a grey, cold, paranoid city of Russians that dislike the west has been shattered.
Everyone is friendly, helpful and welcoming. Each day I have been treated to amazing Russian cuisine and traditions. I have been given a warm bed and had countless warm showers at no cost. I have found out a huge amount about a culture that is so similar yet different to my own. The city itself is so easily accessible by metro that in the short time that I have been here I have seen a lot. The Kremlin, Saint Basils Cathedral, Victory Park, VDNKh, the war museum, Catherine the greats Palace and the must see Red Square. I could quite happily stay here for a lot longer. Learn Russian, ride the metro some more and maybe get a Russian bride!
I have been almost disappointed that I haven’t been able to find much of the cities’ relatively recent communist history. No instead I have been treated to a modern city of contradiction. Lamborghinis drive along side Ladas. Modern sky scrapers stand aside communist era blocks of flats. This is a city that has many, many, many (US) dollar billionaires but a monthly minimum wage of just over $180. This does not mean by anyway that this is a cheap city, anything but and it far exceeds my budget. So how have I managed to stay here?
This is all due to my good friend Irina. Strangely we met on a summer camp in America some six years ago and since then haven’t really had much contact. If it wasn’t for social networking I doubt we would have made contact again. When I found out that she now calls Moscow home through Facebook. It didn’t require much thought to make this a dot on the map on the route to Delhi.
Why come to Russia? The obvious answer would be to see the country. The more in-depth answer is to experience a different Commonwealth System. The majority of the previous U.S.S.R nations are part of the Commonwealth of Independent States (C.I.S). This is the closest to a contrast between the Commonwealth of nations that Scotland is a member of. So far it has been interesting with some wanting to be part and other wanting nothing to do with it. I have the feeling the same will apply to the nations I will visit during the Challenge.
Since the challenge took to the road from Poznan I have been surprised that I have managed to continually do the miles day after day and arrive here on time as planned. It was all maybe a bit straight forward. Dare I even say easy! But of course each day there was a new challenge. From the off in Poznan the sun beat down on me like I had never experienced before on the bike. Then in Lithuania and Latvia they offered me some tough roads with a lack of surfaced roads. Russia followed this up with roads almost as bad as their driving. The language barrier has been huge imprisoning me in a world of silence. But you get on with it.
The motivation to get here was maybe the key. As far as I can work out for me fitness only plays a very small part in the ability to achieve the goal. For me it appears to be more about the mental attitude to the situation. The facts are simple prior to the expedition I had very little time to train. By that I really mean very little at all. Yet here I am. How much further this will get me I can’t say.
I will find out on the road. I have chosen the best time to find out, during the first ever race I have ever participated in. Sure there are no other competitors, strict rules or prize for finishing. But I am against the clock. It is counting down to October 14th and the Glasgow handover ceremony at the Delhi Commonwealth Games. From here to there it is some 3400 miles and I have just under 50 days to get there.
So can I do? Well it is time to find out. Delhi here I come….
…….oh and remember wear Sun cream!

They say the first step is the hardest

That is me a week into the ten month expedition and things are starting to settle in. I considered this a practice week if you like. Time to get used to the bike, the weight and the idea of being on the road for 20,000 miles. Also to see if anyone would join me for five miles. So far so good.

However during the ride I have been wondering what exactly is the first hard step? At what point does it happen? For me would it have been the stage when the idea was formed in the Himalayas? Strangely that was almost a formality for me. It was decided in a instance and I continued my trek without a second thought. Certainly it did not seem a hard step.

Would it then have been the stage when I got home and had to come up with the 'plan' of how I would do this? This resulted in numerous challenges. Like learning how to build a website, use social networks, creating a blog, getting in the media, make contacts with many organisations, researching and sourcing equipment, training, route planning, sorting out visas and the hardest challenge of them all the funding. These were all tough and I have been more successful at some of the tasks than others. But I would not consider any of these tasks as the first step and everything else fell into place after it.

Maybe it was the first 5 miles of pedalling away from Glasgow? Nope, this had a feeling of relief more than anything. The weeks building up to the start were unfortunately stressful. I still needed visas, equipment and doubted anyone would like to join me. Add to this the challenge of working seven days a week. So that first pedal out of Glasgow's George Square with five other cyclists was a great moment.

Maybe then the hardest step is the last. The challenge involves huge commitment and sacrifices and then it finishes and you are left with the question- What next?

For me obviously this is not a concern. What is next? The answer is easy: Ride 20,000miles, raise money for UNICEF and get as many people as I can to join me for 5 miles.

Thanks so far goes to Ken, Iain and David for riding with me in and around Newcastle. To Ellis the kind cycling fanatic that treated me to beers, steak and a night indoors. To Dan MArtin for a great night. Thanks to all his stories of adventures I certainly have a lot to think about!

So tomorrow I set off to Harwich and then Holland. The long ride to the next commonwealth nation begins and maybe a conclusion on what is the first hard step.

Well the Challenge is here. At long last I have finally told the world about my new expeditions. I know for some you have been waiting a while to find out so I hope I haven't disappointed.

First things first then, time for an introduction: my name is Sean Newall. I consider Glasgow my home city. I work, study and play there. This is my first major expedition!

The Challenge is an idea that I have been thinking about for a few years now but it was only after my last expedition in India that the concept really took shape. Having worked with Culture and Sport Glasgow for a number of years caused me to have an interest in the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

This got me thinking about the commonwealth. If I was honest I really did not have any idea what it was, who it was etc. I thought it was all about the empire and monarchy. Really who were all these nations that Glasgow will be hosting in 2014?

I was surprised to find out that it was over 70 nations from six continents. Basically a quarter of the countries in the world make up this unique family. Not only that with the Commonwealth having a population of nearly 2 billion then there is a one in three chance that you are from a Commonwealth nation.

Here is the basis of the Challenge: 72 Commonwealth nations, 4 Epic Expeditions, 1 Challenge to visit them all by a physically challenging method of transport!

The first expedition begins on August 1st 2010 between now and then I hope to tell you more about me, the expeditions, Unicef and the commonwealth.

The Challenge isn't only for me I hope to get as many people as I can involved through games and play so there is much more to come yet!

Oh and Please If YOU are from a Commonwealth nation get in touch!

LET'S PLAY